Unpeeling the onion : Digital triage and monitoring of general practice, private psychiatry, and psychology

OBJECTIVE: The Australian federal government is considering a 'digital front door' to mental healthcare. The Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney has published a discussion paper advocating that the government should adopt a comprehensive model of digital triage and monitoring (DTM) based on a government-funded initiative Project Synergy ($30 million). We critically examine the final report on Project Synergy, which is now available under a Freedom of Information request.

CONCLUSION: The DTM model is disruptive. Non-government organisations would replace general practitioners as care coordinators. Patients, private psychiatrists, and psychologists would be subjected to additional layers of administration, assessment, and digital compliance, which may decrease efficiency, and lengthen the duration of untreated illness. Only one patient was deemed eligible for DTM, however, during the 8-month regional trial of Project Synergy (recruitment rate = 1/500,000 across the region). Instead of an unproven DTM model, the proposed 'digital front door' to Australian mental healthcare should emphasise technology-enabled shared care (general practitioners and mental health professionals) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe illness.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:32

Enthalten in:

Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists - 32(2024), 2 vom: 25. März, Seite 118-120

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Allison, Stephen [VerfasserIn]
Bastiampillai, Tarun [VerfasserIn]
Kisely, Stephen [VerfasserIn]
Looi, Jeffrey Cl [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Digital triage
Journal Article
Mental health policy
Modelling and simulation

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 05.03.2024

Date Revised 07.03.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1177/10398562231222826

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM366049682